Football Preview: Horizon Huskies vs. Notre Dame Prep Saints
The Horizon Huskies will square off against the Notre Dame Prep Saints at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Last Friday, Horizon got the win against Chaparral by a conclusive 38-16. Considering the Huskies have won five contests by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Horizon's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Dylan Brush, who rushed for 110 yards and one touchdown on only nine carries. Another pass catcher making a difference was Jake Giraud, who picked up 106 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Horizon proved: they limited Chaparral to a paltry 2.5 yards per carry. While two picked up at least seven total tackles, Gage Lee stood above the rest. He picked up a sack and made seven total tackles (2.5 for loss). Horizon didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 7.3.
Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and Notre Dame Prep had no trouble coming through when it counted. They blew past Maricopa 49-20 on Friday. That looming 49-20 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Saints yet this season.
Notre Dame Prep's win came from a few key players Horizon will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Nate Jones, who rushed for 247 yards and three scores while picking up 14.5 yards per carry. Those 247 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Gunnar Perry was another key player, rushing for 129 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries.
Notre Dame Prep's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 47.5 points over those games. As for Horizon, their victory bumped their record up to 8-2.
Horizon and Notre Dame Prep were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in October, but Horizon came up empty-handed after a 42-41 defeat. Can the Huskies avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps